


And so with the sunshine

by gay_angel



Category: MASH (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, Compulsory Heterosexuality, Gay Awakening, Gay Radar O'Reilly, M/M, Mostly Canon Compliant, Period-Typical Homophobia, Radar O'Reilly has ADHD, repressed gay, will add warnings as is applicable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:22:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29485173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gay_angel/pseuds/gay_angel
Summary: Some people chalked up Radar's naïvity to his small-town Iowa upbringing, but if he was honest, that was just another one of his ways he could never do anything on time. Jimmy across the street was engaged around the time Radar was drafted, and he was always behind Radar in school, even before he was held back. Radar, on the other hand, couldn’t fathom a relationship with a girl. No matter how intently he listened to talks on the matter or how many questions he asked, it still all felt unnatural to him.
Relationships: Radar O'Reilly/Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	And so with the sunshine

Walter O’Reilly had always felt a little different. Back home in Iowa, it hadn’t mattered much, but when he was shipped out to Korea, that’s when he really started to notice, and he wasn’t the only one noticing it. His peers were regarded as normal men who did normal enlisted army men things, whereas Radar was somewhat of an enigma in coke bottle glasses. 

Radar always laughed at jokes when he got them rather than the appropriate timing of right after they finished. Sometimes that was too soon, and sometimes that was too late. Everything about him was always a bit too soon or a bit too late. He never seemed to do anything exactly as he should or exactly when he should. 

Some people chalked up his naïvity to his small-town Iowa upbringing, but if he was honest, that was just another one of his ways he could never do anything on time. Jimmy across the street was engaged around the time Radar was drafted, and he was always behind Radar in school, even before he was held back. Radar, on the other hand, couldn’t fathom a relationship with a girl. No matter how intently he listened to talks on the matter or how many questions he asked, it still all felt unnatural to him.

Yet it still felt like there was something missing. 

Growing up he always expected to one day become a man with manly desires to do whatever it was that men did, but as his twenties were fast approaching, he was doubtful that’d ever come. In fact, he was almost expecting to find out there was something wrong with him, I mean, what kind of a man doesn’t want to drink or take a nice girl out for the evening? 

Radar O’Reilly, that’s who. The poorest excuse for a man this man’s army has ever seen.

Radar slumped his head into his hand propped up by his elbow. “I’ll have another.”

As he took a sip of his second grape nehi of the evening, the door to the officer’s club burst open at the hands of Hawkeye Pierce. He was followed by BJ Hunnicut and the pair were engrossed in a series of quips and retorts. 

They walked up to the bar where Radar was sitting and each ordered a drink. 

“Radar! What brings you to this fine establishment so early?” B.J. turned to him with a smile.

“oh, nothing.” The self-deprecating tone leaked out into his speech.

Hawkeye clapped his back lightly. “That’s it, kid. Drink away your sorrows, it’ll all be gone in the morning.” 

Radar huffed and raised an eyebrow. Hawkeye turned away with his drink towards an unoccupied table. Evidently, this was not his first drink of the night. No doubt, he and B.J had gotten an early start in the swamp. 

Radar paid his tab and took his soda with him as he left the officers club. It was a cool summer night, nice for a walk, and it was starting to get stuffy in there anyways.

Radar wandered around for a short while, and without really knowing where his feet were taking him, Radar ended up outside his office.

He decided it was indeed time for him to turn in, so he didn’t hesitate to follow his feet on inside. 

Sitting on his bed was the book Hawkeye lent him earlier in the day, “The Great Gatsby.” He liked reading, but he wasn’t as fond of those mystery novels the rest of the camp liked to circulate, so when Hawkeye finished reading this one, he made sure to lend it to Radar first. 

Radar took off his jacket and pants and climbed under the covers. He left the light on to read, thankful again it had been a slow week at the 4077. He rarely had the energy to read before bed these days. 

Radar found he sort of appreciated the way that Nick seemed to be the most down to earth and normal character in the entire book, yet it was painfully obvious that had any other character been the focal point, they would have seemed much the same. That’s rather how Radar felt. From his point of view, he was the standard, and everyone else was just bumbling around in their own silly ways of doing things. 

That night, he dreamt he walked up to the officer’s club, only the doors opened up and it was a great big house with a swinging party right out of the twenties. He roamed around looking for someone he knew, but there were so many unfamiliar faces. He ended up sitting at the house bar. A girl offered him a drink, but he declined. Hawkeye approached him from out of the crowd and offered him a grape nehi. He quickly accepted and Hawkeye clapped him on the back. When he drank the nehi, he felt warm inside, as if he’d been drinking a hot coffee instead of a chilled soda. The girl who had offered him a drink asked him for a dance. He was being dragged towards the dancing before he could accept or reject the offer. They danced for a few minutes, but it felt like dancing with his cousin at that wedding he went to when he was a kid. When she pulled him close, he went rigid, and then suddenly Hawkeye came up to them and wordlessly motioned for him to follow. He let go of the girl and started after him. When he looked back, the girl had an eerie blank expression on her face, so he swallowed and looked forward again. 

When they left the door to go into the next room, they ended up in the swamp. The noise of the party disappeared and there was a record playing a modern slow dance song from the corner of the tent. Hawkeye held out his hand as if to ask for a dance, and with wide eyes and an open mouth, Radar took it. He was immediately pulled in close. As they swayed, Radar began to relax. It was warm, especially where their hands were touching and where his cheek was pressed against Hawkeye’s chest. With each sway, he relaxed more and more until he drifted off back to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first of a multi-chapter fic. I will change the tags, warnings, and characters as they become applicable. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment! I'd love to see them. :)


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